


Beginning, Middle and Overture

by LittleLasagne



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-23 00:48:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30047361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLasagne/pseuds/LittleLasagne
Summary: Zoë Hange and Levi Ackerman were inseparable as kids, until Levi was ripped out of her life and moved away. Twenty years on, the two of them are polar opposites. She’s all messy hair and mad scientist, and he’s clean cut and tight-laced. Maybe their time together came to a graceful end already, or maybe it’s the beginning of something brand new.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë, Nanaba/Mike Zacharias
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**  
******  
  
  


********

“I had no idea things were so bad,” Zoë Hange’s mother sighed. She placed her hand to her forehead and gazed out of the window, a lump formed in her throat and tears pricked her eyes. She found it difficult to get her words out. “I just can’t imagine it… I thought Kuchel was doing better… well I knew things were hard but that’s why we always helped! I never imagined this… So, what’s going to be happening? There’s no way to contact him?”

“Afraid not. As far as we know, social services have taken him into care, effective immediately.”

“Care? Will he be in the county at least? The poor boy…” tears spilled onto her cheeks and she wiped them away with a faint sorry.

“They haven’t informed us of anything. Due to the circumstances, they're being extremely tight-lipped. All we know is that he’s not returning to school here. We weren’t aware of any relatives or next-of-kin nearby, so he’ll probably be with a foster family. If they locate blood relatives then he may live with them,” the teacher shuffled some papers on a desk and sighed heavily. “Even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll work out with the courts. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on Zoë. I can speak with her now if you like?”

“No, it’s okay, I’ll speak to her tonight,” Zoë’s mother said, as she stood up. “If there’s any chance of getting an address, I’m sure Zoë would love to send a letter... o-or even see him-”

“I’ll see what we can do Dr. Hange, but cases like these are handled with care by the social. There’s a high chance we won’t know where he’s living,” the teacher shook Dr. Hange’s hand. “All we can hope is that he’s being looked after.”

“Of course. I just wish there were something we could do. Oh, the poor boy, and Zoë is going to be devastated,” Zoë’s mum blinked back tears again. The thought of the small boy with the small smile all alone in the world broke her heart. And Kuchel too... just what had happened? She was doing so well.

“I know. He’s a good kid. Thank you for making the time today, and I’m sorry you had to find out like this, Dr.”

Outside the teacher’s office, Zoë Hange sat on chair. She clutched a book about frogs to her chest. She couldn’t wait to read it tonight and tell Levi everything she learned. He hated how slimy frogs were and how you never knew when they were going to jump, but she’d have to find something cool to tell him. Her legs dangled freely and she stared outside at all the children leaving school. But someone was missing. Levi hadn’t been to school for a few days. She last saw him just before the Christmas holidays when she had given him a little present for his birthday. She had wrapped her favourite book, The Hobbit, just for him. Her mum even helped tie a ribbon around it. She jumped from the chair as her mum and teacher came out of the office. Zoë had just learned a new word that day: crestfallen. Her mum’s face looked just like it. 

“Mum?” she said. Was she in trouble?

Her mum held her hand out silently, and the two of them went home.

***

“So, he’s… he’s moved away?’ Zoë stared at her mum with wide eyes. Her mum rubbed small circles on back as they sat on the bed.

“There was some sort of… car accident on Christmas day, darling,” she replied. “His mum was badly hurt and she didn’t make it.” She didn’t know how Zoë would take it, but she didn’t want to tell a complete lie to her daughter either. She looked at Zack and Alex who were standing in the doorway. There arms were crossed, and they gave each other a look. 

“What car? Levi’s mum didn’t have a car! Where were they going on his birthday?” Zoë said, standing suddenly. “Mum, what happened? Is she dead?”

“I’m so sorry, Zoë, but she died.”

“Where’s Levi?” she started to weep. Alex came into the room and took Zoë into his arms. It had to be serious if Alex was hugging her. Her glasses dug into her cheeks but she couldn’t feel it. She suddenly couldn’t breathe. Her chest felt tight and her world was spinning.

“I’m sorry, darling, but your teacher couldn’t tell me all the details,” her mum said.

“B-but, but it’s Levi!” Zoë’s voice failed her, and she choked on her tears. Great sobs ripped from her chest. Alex held her harder, holding back tears of his own.

“I know, darling,” her mum said.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye! Where did he go?” she sobbed into her brother’s embrace.

Twenty Years Later

“I fucking hate this place.”

The raucous laughter filled the coffee shop and Levi visibly shuddered. Every single fucking day. Whether they were grabbing a morning drink or trying to stretch their legs at lunchtime, the same loud laughs bounced off the shiny floors, the same weirdos came flying in…

“Calm down, it’s only been a week,” Erwin said, as he stepped up to the counter to order drinks. “What do you want?”

“I’ll get my own.”

“I insist.”

“Eurgh, fine. Large tea.”

“Large? Did you sleep last night?” Erwin said.

“I’m sitting down.” Levi left Erwin at the counter and retreated to the safety of the table. It had only been a week in this tiny new city and he already hated every minute of it. He looked over at the corner of the little coffee shop where a large group were congregated. They were rowdy, messy, and uncivilised. It wasn’t anything like he impolite rush of London where people too busy to breathe let alone stop and chat. Levi sanitised his hands. He took out his home-made lunch from his bag, unboxed his set of travel cutlery and started eating. Erwin plonked himself in the seat next to him with a sandwich bought from the counter. He shook the table and Levi glared.

“It could be worse you know,” Erwin said. Levi didn’t answer. “Just give it a month or two.” He didn’t feel like speaking. “If someone told me that setting up a new firm would be this painful, I might not have done it.” No reply. “The new lawyers are starting in a few weeks. When Nanaba gets down here with Mike, things will liven up I’m sure.” Still no reply. “There’ll be things to do. Sights to see and all that.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, Erwin,” Levi said, his voice void of expression. The group in the corner laughed again and Levi closed his eyes.

“What was that? Yeah, it’s good to have a change of scenery. I feel like I can breathe here.”

“What was wrong with the air in London?”

“Everything, Levi. I thought we were agreed. It was time for change,” Erwin wanted to change the subject. “Anyway, how’s your flat?”

“It’s fine. A few hiccups,” Levi replied. It was coming along nicely actually. He quite liked it as it was much bigger than his old flat in London.

“Just fine?”

“The movers fucking smashed some of my plates.” 

“Come down and borrow some of mine if you need too,” Erwin replied. Levi hummed in agreement. It was just like how it used to be years ago when the two of them were at university. Always leaning on each other. Granted, Erwin was two years ahead of Levi and now they were living in separate flats, but Levi felt grateful that he was sharing this new experience with his oldest friend. He wouldn’t show it of course.

“Anyway, if you felt so strongly about this, you shouldn't have come.” Erwin carried on.

“Couldn’t let you fuck this up on your own, could I?” Levi replied as he ate. There was nothing left in London anyway. He shuddered internally when he thought of the mess they had left behind, not to mention the people. They sat in content silence. There was more that he wanted to say, but he didn’t want Erwin to actually feel guilty. Levi wasn’t bitter about the move but returning to his childhood city came with an entire host of problems. The place where he grew up. The place where his life fell apart. The place where he lost everything.

“Erwin, and Levi!” the barista’s voice called out. Erwin collected the drinks and set them down. 

“Cheers to new beginnings, Levi.”

***

It didn’t take long for Levi to get his desk how he wanted: empty. Perfection. If he could have his way, he wouldn’t even have a monitor or keyboard visible – he would go to the effort at the end of every working day to pack them, out of sight and out of mind but Erwin said that wasn't normal. He made sure that the keyboard lined up with the monitor and he walked into Erwin’s office. He immediately cringed. Erwin's desk was already covered in papers and pens. There was a framed photo of his fiancée and two dirty mugs. A mess already.

“Oh, hey,” he popped up from under his desk.

“What are you doing?” 

“Just getting some of these wires sorted…” Erwin ducked back under.

“Didn’t the technician sort it?” 

“Yeah… but it’s caught on something.”

“Anyway, I’m heading back in ten, so if you want a lift you better hurry up,” he said. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll come with you,” Erwin said. Levi looked around at Erwin’s office. The walls were lined with bookshelves. There were boxes still waiting to be unpacked. Levi kicked a box open with his foot. Inside  
were pens that were stamped with their new company logo; a pair of wings and the word ‘Freedom’. He snorted.

“Who do you think wants merchandise from their lawyers?” 

“A lot of people, your fans will buy them if no one else will,” he could hear the smile on Erwin’s face. 

“Eurgh, don’t. It’s only a matter of time before something goes shitfaced again,” Levi said.

“Ever the pessimist, aren’t you? I think we’ll be fine. How many ghosts could follow us here?” Erwin said, standing and adjusting his tie. 

“I’m a realist,” Levi grumbled. “Everything goes shitfaced eventually.”

They headed back to the estate and their block of flats. It was a nice area, Levi had to admit. Even though it was right in the city centre, it was private, had plenty of trees surrounding it, and was relatively quiet. He always laughed when he thought of this place as a city – it was fucking tiny compared to London.

Erwin invited Levi to go back to his to eat dinner, but Levi declined. He was focused on getting his flat exactly how he wanted and couldn’t afford to waste time at Erwin’s yet. He meticulously unpacked and put everything in order. He organised his kitchen cupboards, lining up every little jar and refilling the ones that were emptying so the amounts matched up. If something was machine washable, he put it in the washing machine. He washed his entire wardrobe, curtains, blinds, and even the sofa cushion covers. He had to get the moving grime off it all. 

When he got home from work that night, he was delighted to see that his bidet had finally been delivered. He rushed to install it straight away. Then, he was going to clean the toilet thoroughly. Even though the flat was a new-build and he was the first ever occupant, he was never completely satisfied that the bathroom was completely clean. Mental images of sweaty builders shitting all over his toilet plagued him, so he spent a lot of time cleaning and bleaching the bathroom. Maybe he would do it again tonight so he could tire himself out and get a wink of sleep.

***

Levi looked at the clock. 4 am. He sat up in his bed and sighed. Despite the furious scrubbing of the bathroom, he couldn't sleep. He got out of bed, and lightly padded across the room to get his laptop. Erwin was in the flat below him and he couldn’t afford to wake him and get questioned tomorrow morning on why he was stomping around in the middle of the night. He stopped and moved the curtains to get a look outside. Complete silence. The streetlights gave off an eerie glow. He liked when it was quiet during the day but he didn’t know if he liked the quiet at night. At least in London he was never alone during a bought of insomnia. Cities like that never slept, but here, it was just him and his brain.

He moved away from this place twenty years ago. Twenty fucking years. He was a completely different being to back then. He stared up at the night’s sky and contemplated it all. All he could remember was unspeakable pain. Tears. Hunger. Bruises and backhands. It was keeping him up at night again. Maybe it was time to seek out another fucking therapist. He knew that he should probably get this current wave looked at and nipped in the bud before it took over his life. And it was always better to do it before Erwin noticed and made him do it anyway. He looked up. Pale grey clouds swept over twinkling stars. At least the stars were visible here.

He shook his thoughts away and put his current bought of insomnia down to the stresses of moving to a new city. He’d only just come off medication last year, but it was inevitable at this rate. He sighed. He’d give it a couple of months before therapists, counselling, antidepressants, and whatever else it took to achieve a semblance of peace. He sat down with his laptop to get a head start on the day’s work.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A messy first meeting.

**Chapter Two**

**  
******  
  
  
  


Hange rushed into the coffee shop, slamming the door open with her shoulder. Her hair was a mess, her rucksack was slung over one shoulder and she carried a set of folders in her arms haphazardly. She hurried to the counter where a small group of people were waiting to collect their morning coffees. She took no notice at the stares she received from them. Big deal. What’s new? 

“The usual, please, Karina,” she gasped at the barista, “I’m-,” 

“-running late. I know,” the barista smiled. “I’ll get this sorted for you quickly.” 

She fished for her phone in her bag and dropped a folder in the process. Woops. She grabbed it and checked her phone with one hand. Three texts from Grisha asking where she was. She shouldn’t have stopped for coffee, but she knew she’d fall asleep during the presentation without one. Maybe she shouldn’t have stayed up so late the night before playing games online. But fuck, she didn’t regret it. She bounced around on the balls of her feet as she typed a reply. 

‘2 mins away!!!!’ she sent it. She’d make it if she sprinted. 

“Large tea for Levi?” the barista called. Hange was too absorbed on her phone to notice the smartly dressed man take his tea and leave the coffee shop with his nose in the air and a scowl on his face. 

***

He noticed her every fucking morning; she stormed in, made a fuss, got her coffee, and stormed straight out. It had only been a few weeks, but it annoyed Levi more than he cared to admit. She radiated such a disorganised energy with her flyaway hair and shitty glasses that it made his eyebrow twitch with pure loathing. It took him at least ten minutes every morning to feel at peace after being in her presence. Whenever he saw her, he protested her appearance by staring at the blank wall ahead of him or re-reading his emails on his phone.

Sometimes, she was accompanied by other equally irritating and disorganised people. Levi liked to escape the office occasionally for some coffee shop peace, but unfortunately, she would be there with her colleagues, laughing loudly and guffawing like children. All he could do was try and block out them out.

Levi was in a bad mood on one particularly rainy morning when Erwin accompanied him for tea. He hadn’t been able to sleep because his washing machine decided to fucking break. It caused him an irrational amount of anger that he couldn’t wash his towels last night and he was still feeling it that morning. He tried to keep calm but the four eyes was there in an oversized lab coat looking like Frankenstein, humming to herself and rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for her drink. Erwin read off his emails in an attempt to distract him.

“’… and please tell Mr. Ackerman that I’m grateful for his recommendations, they really helped! The move has gone smoothly. I look forward to meeting you all on Monday and working with you. From Petra’. That’s nice of her. Too polite though. You’re hardly a ‘Mr. Ackerman,’” Erwin laughed. “She’s probably a fan. Imagine her reaction when she sees how short you are.” Levi clicked his teeth.

“I told her to stop calling me that. She’s not that much younger than me,” Levi replied.

“How old is she?”

“Twenty-six.”

“A baby.”

“Four coffees for Hange…” the barista called. The messy woman carefully took four drinks. “… and a tea for Levi!” Levi stepped up, his arm brushed against the crazy scientist woman as he reached for his tea. He felt her wide eyes on him, but he ignored it.

***

Hange’s eyes widened when she heard the name. Mr. Ackerman? Levi? Levi Ackerman?! She balanced the drinks carrier in her hand and watched the two men as they left. The taller man was about to open his umbrella.

“Levi?” she blurted out. She hurried towards them as they left the shop. “Wait!” He turned, a look of pure annoyance on his face. 

“Levi? Levi Ackerman?” she asked. Her cheeks radiated warmth. It couldn’t be him. It was impossible. She was about to apologise when he sighed and looked her up and down. She cringed, knowing that her hair was unbrushed and she hadn’t ironed her shirt. He was meticulously groomed. 

“What do you want?” 

Her heart all but stopped.

“It’s me, Hange. Zoë Hange. Do you remember me? W-we went to school together.” 

His face changed. The scowl left his features, and he raised his brows. The man next to him began to chuckle softly, more to himself than at them.

“Oh. Yeah, Zoë,” was all he could muster. She thought he was playing along but he took a small step forward. “I do remember you.”

“It’s been so long! What are you doing here? You visiting?” she grinned. She couldn’t help it. She had more than a million questions and it felt like her heart was going to explode.

“I’m, er, starting a law firm with him,” he pointed to the much larger man beside him. A tingly warmth flooded her body. Levi’s voice was completely alien to her now that it was smooth and deep. She felt stupid – how did she not realise it was him before? His body was undoubtedly thicker, but he was still on the short side and his face looked almost the same! His hair was perfectly parted and it made his overall demeanour so… strict! Hange thought that he was dressed like a GQ model with his tight black suit and crisp white shirt. Her eyes darted frantically at him and the other man. The other man next to him looked incredibly good too. They both had impeccably neat haircuts with shaved bits underneath. 

“A law firm?” what was happening! She stuttered under her breath, struggling to get words out when her phone started ringing. The volume was set to maximum so she wouldn’t miss the call, and combined with the vibration, it made her jump with a squeal. Boiling coffee dribbled onto her hands. She winced. “Shit, Levi my boss is calling. I have to go, like, right now. I’ll see you around here soon, yeah? We can catch up properly. It was nice to meet you again!” She glanced up at the other man and scurried past them out of the shop and into the rain.

***

“Who was that?” Erwin said the second the door shut.

“We were friends when I lived here,” he stared at where she had been standing. It was as though a dam was smashed apart in his brain. He was suddenly flooded with old memories. Levi needed fresh air. He reached for the door with one hand and pulled it open with a little too much force. 

“The fuck is she still doing here? I thought she’d be out of here by now,” he said.

“I didn’t know you had old friends. She seemed nice,” Erwin mused.

“She looked a fucking mess, she had toothpaste on her shirt. Fucking disgusting.”

“Must be a bad morning.”

“Actually, she’s been like that every morning,” Levi said. He was not surprised he didn’t recognise her before. Not only were her facial features completely different, they were also hidden behind her shitty hair. Her glasses took up half her face and when she wasn’t in her lab coat, she was dressed like a teenage boy. 

“I noticed because she storms in like a hurricane every morning,” he sighed. “Pisses me off. I can’t believe it’s her, eurgh. I hate people like that. Disturbers of the peace.”

“God knows how you survived in the City all these years.”

“I didn’t.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes towards their building. Levi didn’t want to admit it, but he felt odd as he processed the snippets from his childhood that were suddenly reappearing. Zoë and the Hanges. Entire holidays spent at her house and with her family; her mother asking him what his favourite pizza topping was, playing video games with her older brothers, her father finding him in the middle of the night when he ran away from home. He felt his pulse race at the sudden weight of it. Damn, he was not that little boy anymore and he didn’t want to feel this way. It was as if the clouds had parted and the sun was blinding him with accusations of memories he wanted to forget. He added these freshly remembered memories to his long list of insomnia-inducing stresses and glanced over his shoulder at the buildings that lined the street.

“What?” Erwin said.

“Just looking for another coffee shop to go to from now on…” Levi said in a plain voice.

“Levi!”

“What? Look, I can’t be fucked for this. This is the exact thing that I didn’t want to happen when moving back to this shithole,” he grumbled. He couldn’t risk his life spiralling out of control, he simply could not. Not again.

“What’s the harm in a quick catch up?” Erwin said.

“You’re right, how harmful will it be to drag up all the demons from my nauseating childhood,” Levi said, with all the monotone of practised sarcasm.

“She looked excited to see you is all,” Erwin attempted to salvage the situation.

“A red flag already. Who would be excited to see me?” 

“Oh, shut up, Levi. It’s been twenty years. I’m sure you weren’t always an insufferable bastard, you must have done something nice,” Erwin laughed. 

“We were just kids…”

“Petra and Oluo are starting Monday morning. You can pick up drinks and some snacks. It’s the perfect chance to bump into her again and make a new friend here. Or you know, reconnect with an old one.” Levi clicked his teeth. “I’ll be her friend if you won’t! Just give her your number or something.”

“For fuck’s sake Erwin,” Levi mumbled.

“Just do it, trust me.”

***

Hange sat at her desk, reeling, and sweating slightly from the encounter.

“Nifa was calling for you ten minutes ago, Hange,” a voice called.

“Shit yeah, I’m getting changed, Moblit,” Hange answered absentmindedly as she took the coffees out of the holder. She made her way to the cloakroom and took a deep breath. It was extremely hard for her brain to process it – Levi Ackerman! Back here! She took a look in the mirror and sighed. Many a wise person had told her that first impressions were important. She wished she had listened; she looked a mess. She didn’t bother brushing her hair that morning. She had just scraped it into a ponytail and bits were already coming loose from her sprint to the coffee shop. Damn, was that toothpaste on her collar? Levi must have noticed. He was dressed and preened to absolute high heaven so there was no doubt that he didn’t notice her sloppiness. She pictured him as a young boy and compared it to what he looked like now. He looked so sharp! He looked so suave! He looked a bit angry. It was kind of intimidating-

“Hange!” Moblit called again.

“Coming! Coming!”

She couldn’t wait to tell her parents later tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi can seem very rude.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Hange searched for him online, the light from her laptop illuminated her face in the darkness of her bedroom. It wasn’t stalking - it was satisfying natural curiosity. Levi wasn’t on social media, but a ton of news articles came up about his work. Her eyes rapidly scanned the headlines. It seemed like his old law firm had taken on special cases and even high profiles ones. There were articles about asylum seekers being wrongfully detained, children being tested for crimes as adults, and even some highly publicised cases with victims of police brutality. Levi and this Erwin guy had been involved in some extraordinary things!

Funnily enough, Levi and Erwin had also been in a documentary as the lawyers for some victims of a murder. Their appearance had gone semi-viral a couple of years ago. It was a shame that she didn’t watch crime documentaries anymore. While she liked them, it was more of her ex’s thing and she preferred to not be reminded of sociopaths and pyschos. She decided to watch this one at some point. For research. 

It was also apparent that Levi and Erwin had a lot of fans. People analysed their courtroom defences word by word and had written whole essays on them. Hange scrolled through some dedicated forums where fans edited photos and made memes of the two of them. She snorted. They did look insanely good together, even she could admit that. 

She sat back against her pillow and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d always pictured Levi living a tragic orphan life, beaten by the system, and destined to a sad fate, but he appeared to have made something of himself. Hange concluded that Levi and his friend were doing very well for themselves.

*******

****

Hange’s excitement dictated everything. She woke earlier than usual, made sure to brush her hair and arrived at the coffee shop when it opened. She got her coffee to dine-in and sat by the door on her laptop. There was no chance that she would miss him. Was it too much? Probably. But she didn’t care.

He arrived right on cue. He strode into the coffee shop with his nose slightly in the air. Crisp black shirt with a white tie. His shiny shoes clicked on the floor tiles. He looked good. He didn’t see her. She wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or not.

“Hey! Levi!” she called. He turned to her and nodded at the counter. He was ordering first. Ok, that made sense. Her leg started to twitch under the table as she watched him. 

“Zoë,” he said as he sat opposite her. He folded his arms. She grinned again. 

“I can’t believe this! How are you?” she said, doing her best to keep her excitement at bay. 

“Look… I can’t stay for long, early start,” he looked out of the window.

“Oh, me too!” she lied. “I’m just checking a few bits before I head off, another big presentation today!” she gestured to her laptop with an awkward laugh. “So, how are you? What’s this about a law firm?” 

He took a deep breath before replying. “Yeah, well it’s mostly Erwin’s venture. He’s the one you saw the other day. New beginnings and all that,” he spoke with such indifference that Hange wanted to laugh.

“That’s really cool, Levi. So, you’re living here now?”

“Yeah.”

“Whereabouts?” she wanted to get proper answers out of him, but he seemed reluctant to chat in anything other than clipped sentences.

“A new housing estate. Down the road by the river. Loads of flats and apartments,” he said. He was still looking out of the window.

“Oh, yeah I know the one, super expensive luxury apartments?” He didn’t answer. “So, you’re living with this Erwin guy?”

“No. On my own, but he’s in the flat below.”

“That’s cool, that’s cool.” No partner then? She sipped her coffee to buy time. “I finished my PHD a couple of years ago, so I’m, er, still with my parents unfortunately. Do you remember my house?” He nodded. “It’s the same one.”

“You’re a doctor? What do you do now?” he said.

“Yep! Dr. Zoë Hange!” she laughed. She was being too awkward. “I work for a pharmaceutical company. Medicines and all that,” she replied.

“I’m not surprised, you were obsessed with that shitty chemistry set,” he said. She was taken aback at first, then she burst into a bark of wild laughter. She had forgotten about that, but it was true! She was obsessed! He looked a little freaked out.

“I’m surprised you remember, Levi!” 

He shrugged. Hange was confused. How was this awkward, stilted man some hero lawyer? He couldn’t even look her in the eye. 

“Order for Levi!” the barista called. He moved in a flurry.

“I’m off then, I’ll see you around,” He left as quickly as he came but with a large box of colourful pastries and a bag of drinks. She downed the rest of her coffee and watched pensively as he walked down the street. He was all perfect posture and broad shoulders. She hunched at her seat. She probably scared him off with her ugly laughing and she didn’t even get a chance to give him her number.

“Oh my God, Hange,” the barista, Karina, slipped in the seat and took her empty mug. “How do you know him?”

“Levi?” Hange said.

“We’re all obsessed with him. I’ll take the morning shift when he comes everyday looking like that!” she started fanning herself with her hand. 

“He’s hot as fuck!” another barista called from behind the counter. 

“Stop it, you two,” Hange said, as she packed away her laptop. But she secretly agreed with them. You didn’t see people like that around here very often. “I used to know him a while back, we’re just old friends.” 

“Give him my number, I’ll put a smile on that face,” Karina winked. “Whatever you do, make sure he keeps coming here.”

***

Petra and Oluo were sitting with Erwin in the main office when Levi entered.

“Ah, he’s here, you took your time,” Erwin joked.

“Shut up…” Levi said under his breath.

Erwin carried on, unaffected. “Petra and Oluo are both ready for their first caseload. Levi will be your supervisor. He’ll show you the ropes and get you started on how we do things.” Levi made his way over for the shitty introductions.

“It’s really great to be working you with you, Mr. Ackerman,” Petra said. She held out her hand for Levi to shake. Her hands were delicate-looking, and her nails were polished with a pale pink colour. She took care of herself, but unfortunately for her, he had no idea where that hand had been. He didn’t shake it. 

“I didn’t think an opportunity like this would crop up here! I’ve studied your cases!” Oluo beamed. He had clearly attempted to tame his unruly curls but it just looked messy. It pissed Levi off for no good reason. 

“It’s just ‘Levi’, yeah? None of this ‘Mr. Ackerman’ bullshit,” Levi snapped. He didn’t have time for compliments and he certainly didn’t care if he seemed rude. They were tough cookies. They would figure it out soon enough. Petra blushed, Oluo cracked a strange smile. “Come on, get your things sorted. There’s food over there if you’re hungry.” They both hurried off.

“You’re scaring them before they’ve even had a chance,” Erwin sighed. “Go easy on them. They’re the cream of the crop and we need people like that if we’re starting from the bottom.”

“What? Baptism of fire is the most efficient way. They’ll never reach your standards if we’re all friendly,” Levi stared at Erwin who stared straight back. “If they survive a week, then I’ll be nice.” 

Erwin narrowed his eyes. “What happened with Zoë?” Levi shuddered internally. What a horrible first meeting. He didn’t want to think about it ever again.

“Who?”

“Don’t be a dick.”

“Nothing happened.”

“Then why are you so cranky?”

“I’m not.”

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Fuck off.”

“Did you give her your number?” 

“No.” And he didn’t plan on it.

“Levi, I thought"-

“You thought wrong,” Levi said. “I don’t know why you care about this.”

“It’s not that I-"

“We’re at work now,” Levi said. “Get busy.” And he made his way over to Petra and Oluo to scare them a little more.

***

The evidence pointed to it being her: the unapologetically loud voice and a silly, shrill giggle that pierced his skull. He swiftly ducked behind the giant pillar in the aisle and cursed himself. He’d managed to avoid bumping into Zoë Hange at the coffee shop all week, but now, as if the heavens were cursing him, the four eyes was in the supermarket. There he was, hiding like a wet kitten by the porridge.

Where was Erwin? He needed to pay and leave. Immediately. But Erwin had wandered off in search of shitting canned lychee. Fucking hell. Fuck it, he would leave his shopping basket here and just flee to the car. But no – he wanted to make bread and needed this fresh yeast! He leaned against the pillar, trying to give off an air of apathy in case she came running around the corner. 

“No! I have not seen him again!” she said. Her voice ran clear as bells. A man’s voice answered her. A boyfriend maybe? He couldn’t imagine who would put up with her. This man was speaking at a normal human level so Levi couldn’t make out what he was saying. “No, Mob! I’m not crazy!”

Levi snorted. He begged to fucking differ! He froze as their voices got louder. They had come to the cereal aisle where he was waiting, but they couldn’t see him behind the pillar. He stayed completely still and kept his shoulders tight. 

“Really? Coco pops? I thought you were being healthy?” the man said. He sounded a little tired.

“Nah, can’t be bothered,” was her reply. Yes, be unhealthy, don’t come looking for porridge.

“Maybe if you ate a proper wholesome breakfast, you wouldn’t need three coffees before lunch,” the man said. At least someone in her life was sensible.

“Huh! Who says this is for breakfast? And anyway, I’m not the one who shows up plastered every morning!” Levi took back his previous thought.

“That was one time. And I-I wasn’t plastered, I was hungover. Big difference,” the man stammered.

“Hardly matters when you gave everyone diarrhoea.” Levi didn’t want to know. 

“That wasn’t my fault! You left the cultures out!” 

“Yeah, yeah…” Levi heard some exaggerated straining, like she was taking the dump of a lifetime in the middle of the aisle. “I can’t reach. Can you grab that big box on top?” she said. 

“Anyway, do we have everything for tomorrow?” the man said. Thank goodness they were leaving. 

“Wait let me check the list,” Zoë said. “Don’t want to piss Grisha off and forget something like last time…” 

“So, do you think you’ll see him again?” the man said after a pause.

“I don’t know, Moblit. He’s not very chatty,” she said. What kind of name was ‘Moblit’?

“I don’t think you should give up so soon! Just see how it goes a few more times. I’m sure he’s as curious about you, as you are about him.” Levi raised his eyebrows. Zoë hummed in response. 

“He’s so… elegant.” He wanted to laugh; it couldn’t be him they were talking about.

“So? Since when do you care about that sort of thing? I thought you knew him already?”

“Not for like, twenty years…” Ah, it was him.

“Just have a chat with him. I’m sure it will be fine.” 

“We’re not kids anymore,” exactly! Levi was glad she thought it too. “It makes me feel so small… you know what it’s like when normies just stare at you like your existence is meaningless?” Levi raised a brow. Is that how he made her feel? And he was not a fucking ‘normie’. Whatever that was.

“Well it’s like that, but he can’t even bare to look at me,” she let out an exaggerated sigh. Everything about her was dramatic. “But you’re right, Mob. Maybe I just need to subject myself to him... Anyway, that’s everything on the list. Let’s go.”

Levi took a deep breath as their voices got closer to him. He prepared himself to be thrust into another awkward encounter with Zoë Hange. Maybe he would try and put on a smile. He wouldn’t want to make her feel small again… He started warming up his facial muscles in preparation but thankfully, the man spoke again.

“Wait! Can we check what wine’s on offer?” he said. 

“Eurgh, fine.” Levi dared to peer around the pillar. They were going the other direction. He was saved. He grabbed his basket and power-walked towards the tills, his shoes clicked with every step. He bumped into Erwin.

“Where have you fucking-"

“Look! These were on offer,” Erwin held up two packets of apple turnovers with a lop-sided grin on his face. “Your favourite! I’ll bring them in for Petra and Oluo tomorrow too.”

“Hurry up, let’s go-"

“Actually, can I quickly check what wine-"

“No.” All the tills were busy. They couldn’t risk waiting in a queue, so Levi dragged Erwin to the self-checkout counter and started unloading his basket carefully. As much as he hated self-checkout, this was the faster option.

_“Unexpected item in bagging area."_

“Argh, I hate this thing,” Erwin tapped the screen multiple times. “What have I done now?”

Levi clicked his teeth. “Hurry up.”

“It’s crashed,” Erwin peered at the screen. “I need assistance…”

“Hey! Levi!” Levi winced. Zoë fucking found them. They were too slow. She was carrying two bottles of wine and the Mob man was holding the shopping basket.

“Hello!” Erwin waved at her. All the thoughts about smiling for her disappeared. It was too hard. Levi didn’t want to look. She hopped into his view.

“Fancy seeing you here!” somehow, she was all smiles. Levi couldn’t bring himself to say anything. 

“It’s the nearest supermarket to home,” thank God for Erwin and his desire to be the star of every situation. “How are you?” 

“We’re good!” Hange’s friend appeared behind her. 

“Levi’s told me all about you,” Erwin said, a lie with a smile. Levi wanted to stamp on his foot. “Levi’s on coffee duty next week, so you’ll have plenty of chances to bump into each other.”

“Brilliant!” Zoë said. She looked genuinely happy. Levi was miffed at her, Erwin and even this Mob guy, but he also felt a bizarre urge to not let any of them down. He nodded. If it didn't go well, he could always take it out on Erwin's foot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out what kind of jobs characters would have in an AU is always fun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Levi and Hange met in the mornings over the next couple of weeks. She didn’t know what changed, but she managed to keep him chatting for a least five minutes each time. Five! After gentle probing, she discovered that when he was taken away twenty years ago, he’d ended up living in London with an uncle he didn’t know he had. He went to University after Erwin helped him with applications and studied law. The two of them stayed friends and eventually became colleagues.

While she was happy they were talking, it was all to do with work. Hange wanted longer talks about his favourite food and his memories, but their chats were nothing more than pleasantries that she could tell Levi would have rather avoided. He barely smiled and he still struggled to maintain eye contact.

Her mum pointed out that Levi was probably reminded of less than savoury things being back in this city and when prompted, Hange finally learnt that Levi’s mum didn’t die in a car accident, but by a drug overdose. 

“They didn’t tell me everything,” her mum said one evening over dinner. 

“That’s the most tragic thing possible! No wonder he’s completely weird and closed off! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Hange cried. 

“You were nine-years-old for goodness sake, Zoë! It was more than I could explain.” She looked to Hange’s dad. “God, that boy. It’s all coming back to me now. Do you remember all those times he’d come round after school for food?” Her dad hummed, peering at her over his glasses. 

“It was unfortunate. We did all we could at the time,” he said. Hange didn’t remember any of that.

“I just want to get to know him a little, you know, just for fun,” she said.

“Zoë, he’s not some experiment. I know you were best friends, but I think you need to give him some space. Just let him get on with his life if he’s not interested, friendship or otherwise,” her mum said. 

Hange ignored that last part. She just thought it would be nice to catch up and be friends! But maybe her mum was right. Hange knew she was a little too much for some people, so maybe she was asking too many questions and smiling too much for Levi. He was extremely closed off and she was an open book for all to read. Also, he’d probably prefer to hang around equally attractive and confident lawyer-y people. She was all hair and books and running late. They both had lives of their own and he clearly didn’t need her in his. She’d have to extinguish the flame of curiosity. 

And she dealt with her curiosity just fine. She started making coffee at home and avoided the coffee shop. She told herself that she could do with the extra twenty minutes in bed every morning. 

So she went to work. She carried out experiments, wrote her reports, and gave presentations. She went back to her mundane life and tried to forget about her long-lost childhood friend who was sat in an office a mere five minutes down the road. He probably didn’t miss her one bit. The fire of curiosity was almost extinguished. But one sunny morning, Erwin approached her outside her work building and the fading flames blazed back life. 

“Zoë?” he smiled at her.

“Hey, Erwin, what are you doing here?” Hange said as she brushed back the hairs falling over her glasses.

“I’m actually here to see a friend. Grisha. Grisha Jaeger. Do you know him?” 

“Yeah, he’s my boss!” she lightened up. “What’s going on?”

“Wonderful,” he smiled. He had a pleasant, charming smile with perfectly straight, flashy white teeth. It screamed electric toothbrush and private dental care. Partnered with his slick blond hair, images of a perfect ken doll popped into Hange’s mind. “He’s a family friend – my dad’s old school friend. He helped me with the move over here,” Erwin said as Hange led him into the building. 

“I had no idea! I’m not that close to him anyway… how are you settling in?” 

“Getting there slowly, my fiancée’s in London because of her job so I’m adjusting,” Erwin said.

“How sad! Will she move here?”

“Soon, I hope.”

“How’s Levi?” Hange said. She immediately regretted asking, but the fire inside her couldn’t resist.

“Same old, same old,” he chuckled. “He pretends he hates it here, but I can tell he loves it. It’s more his pace.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah. No dirty tube. No smog. Barely any crowds. He’s settled in nicely. Picking up where we left off - he’s already gotten himself his own MMA class.”

“Cool. He takes classes?”

“He teaches them.”

“Oh!”

“He’s trained in all kinds of fighting styles. Came in handy the other week. He saved a colleague from being mugged,” Erwin said as they stepped inside the lift. Hange tried to hide her surprise. He was short, but very stocky and she supposed he was also dangerous and cool-looking and could easily fend off a mugger.

“Really? Who was mugged? Are they alright?” 

“Yeah, dodgy nightclub after our staff party.” Erwin said as Hange input Grisha’s floor number in the lift.

“Oh, you should’ve asked me, I would’ve told you where to avoid.” She snorted “Not that I go clubbing much. What about you? Are you a cage fighter or something?”

“No, no, that’s not my thing. My extra-curricular activities are a lot calmer,” he said. “I like to volunteer in the community. Mentor youth groups, organise fundraisers, that sort of thing.”

“Nice! Ask Grisha about youth groups; his son is part of some… thingy. Anger problems or something.” she said. 

“Eren or Zeke?” he chuckled and thankfully, he didn’t notice Hange cringe at the mention of a certain Jaeger brother.  
“Thanks, I’ll ask him.” The hum of the lift stopped an awkward silence from emerging. 

“So, have you and Levi had a chance to catch up properly?” Erwin asked. She knew it was bound to come up.

“Not really, I’m sure he’s really busy what with his classes and work,” she didn’t want to appear too disappointed.

“Look, why don’t I give you my number?” Erwin said out of nowhere. “You can let us know all the hotspots. Help us clueless city folk avoid getting beaten up.” Hange was put on the spot. She didn’t know what to do. She was supposed to be forgetting about Levi, not worming her way in with his friends! What if Levi got the wrong impression? But no, this guy had a fiancée and what if this could lead to meeting with him…

“Sure,” she smiled, and he passed her his phone. Her excitement burned brighter than before.

***

Erwin returned to the office at lunchtime. Levi was eating alone at his desk. Just how he liked it.

“Where are the others?” 

Levi ignored the question. “Nanaba called when you were out gallivanting with friends. Mike’s back permanently. Lucky for you, he’s fucked his shoulder up. He’s been written off. They’re sorting their house now. You’ll have your star back soon,” Levi said between mouthfuls.

“Great. Well, not about Mike,” Erwin said.

“Yeah. The house has a garden. Says it’s so cheap here they can afford it. They won’t be joining our cosy arrangement.”

“Great, great,” Erwin said. Levi concentrated on his food. “What’s Mike going to do?”

“You won’t believe what she said,” Levi turned in his swivel chair to face Erwin. “Total career change. No more army. He wants to start taking cooking seriously.”

Erwin looked surprised, but still smiled. “It suits him. I’m glad he’s chasing his dreams.”

“Hmm. Nanaba the breadwinner. You must be gutted. Another one slipped out of your grubby hands,” Levi scoffed.

“Even I couldn’t convince him to join this hellscape. Anyway, where’s Petra and Oluo?”

“They went out for lunch.”

“You’ll have to keep an eye on that.”

“What?”

“They’ve really hit it off, can’t you tell? We should do something about it, stop them before it’s too late.”

“I wouldn’t call squabbling like children ‘hitting it off’,” Levi rolled his eyes. “Leave them the fuck alone.”

“You’re clueless, Levi. Look, I’m not dealing with the fallout… You’ll have to speak with them now. Before it’s too late,” Erwin said.

“Why me? What would I say? You’re not fucking on my watch? Disgusting. Leave them. As long as they don’t slip up, I don’t care.”

“You never care,” Erwin paused for contemplation. “Actually, you do. You care by not caring. You let them get on with their love lives, yet you do nothing about your own.”

Levi rolled his eyes again. “Right, back to work then.” Trust Erwin to twist his words. He swivelled around to face his computer.

“I saw Zoë today,” Erwin carried on. That got Levi’s attention. “I should’ve put two and two together. She’s a scientist right? She works with Grisha down the road.”

Levi feigned interest in his work by refreshing his emails. “What did you talk about then?”

“You, of course. She said you don’t see each other much.”

“Nah, she’s not there in the morning anymore. Figured she was just late. I’m not hanging around any longer than I have to just for a shit chat.” 

“I see. Well, she sounded genuinely concerned about you.”

Levi shrugged. “Did she now. Well, I’m not playing her weird games.”

“Hmm, I don’t think she’s playing games. I think you should make more of an effort,” Erwin said.

“How the hell am I supposed to do that when she’s the one not showing up?” Levi tried to keep his annoyance down.  
“I got her number for you.”

“Erwin… no…” Levi put his head in his hands and sighed. 

“Just take it. What’s so bad with making a friend here?”

“Fine, if it’ll shut you up,” Levi said. There was no pleasing this man.

“No, you have to actually call her. Or text. Whatever you want,” Erwin promptly texted Levi her number, feeling pleased with himself.

***

Levi was happiest when out shopping for himself. Whether it was groceries or cleaning supplies, he felt extreme satisfaction in having fully stocked cupboard. He was especially excited to try out the new swivel mop in his hands. It was a top brand that was on offer – a bargain! – and it even came with its own floor cleaner: ‘Spring Blossom Surprise’.

He was practically salivating at the thought of clinically clean floors. The swivel mop had notable features, including an extra-strong telescopic handle, which was really useful, seeing as he snapped his last mop fighting a spider. He strolled down the street feeling at ease when he saw her.

He clicked his teeth and clutched the swivel mop. His fist turned white. Shit. It was definitely Zoë Hange coming out of the bookshop. He looked around desperately – there wasn’t an alleyway, and the shop next to him was a fucking bra one, there was nowhere to hide-

“Levi!” 

He cursed under his breath. Why did this keep happening to him? All he wanted was peace. She hurried over, her extremely baggy hoodie and jogging bottoms looked like a trip hazard and her glasses were askew. Sure it was the weekend, but couldn’t she at least brush her hair?

“Fancy seeing you here!” she was holding a pile of textbooks close to her chest and the tote bags hanging from the inside of her elbows were full to brim. She attempted to push the hair out of her sweaty face, but she couldn’t lift her hand high enough. Just a mess.

“Just… getting supplies…” he said, holding up his swivel mop. 

“Cool, cool, me too!” She had a lot of energy for someone carrying so much. Levi continued walking down the path. She followed. “So, how are you getting on? How’s work? Do you need any help with anything?”

“No.”

“Sorry I haven’t seen you much, I’ve just been… so busy! I’ve got so much on because I’m covering lectures for my colleague, it’s actually about pharmaceutical law! It’s quite fun although I find it scary talking to lots of students, I swear I was never that intimidating but I bet you were. Students these days are fascinating I wonder what I would have been like if I had a proper phone at Uni but anyway I have to see my nephew and then I’ve been sleeping so late every night and I forgot to have breakfast this morning so I’m actually quite hungry. Oh! And then one of my plants died…”

She blabbered on and on as they walked down the street. The verbal diarrhoea made Levi a little dizzy. He weaved his way through oncoming pedestrians, hoping that he would lose her but she kept close and wouldn’t stop talking. It was amazing! The audacity she had to not shut the fuck up. He didn’t care one bit, but he gave up trying to get a word in.

“Watch where you’re going, freak!”

“Oof!”

Her textbooks clattered to the pavement. Levi turned. A burly man had knocked into Zoë and was strutting away, snickering with his friend. Zoë’s hands were sprawled out before her, things spilled out of the tote bags. 

“Sorry!” she called after the man, “… fucking prick,” she added under her breath. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and was smiling self-consciously. It was painful to witness. 

Something clicked. His blood hit boiling point. She was an annoying messy four eyes, but it was an accident. She was only trying to keep up with him. There was no need for petty name calling. He gripped the swivel mop handle. The man was close enough for him to get a whack in. He could teach a brute like this a lesson, easy as apple fucking turnover. Who cared if he broke another swivel mop in battle? He channelled his rage…

“Levi? C-can you give me a hand?” Zoë said, her tiny, embarrassed voice broke him out of his stupor. Levi clicked his teeth, glaring at the man as he walked away. Well, he got what he wanted. Zoë was finally quiet, but it was for all the wrong reasons. He helped her up then picked up one of her textbooks. Law and Medicine.

“What’s this for?” he said.

“For the lectures I’m covering,” she said as she took the textbook from him. She gave a small laugh. “Should probably do the required reading before I start banging on and on, right?” 

“Do you need help?” it came out before he knew what he was saying.

“I didn’t realise you knew about this,” she said.

“It’s not my area of expertise, but if it’s just the basics…”

“It’s really kind of you to offer!” she smiled going back to her normal self. “But it’s tomorrow morning, so I don’t want to interrupt your evening!” Levi was annoyed. There he was, putting himself out there and he was rejected. And anyway, how could someone their age leave something so important to the last minute? He clicked his teeth. 

“Give me your bags,” he said. She did as he asked without complaint. They carried on walking down the street. Levi made sure to walk next to her just in case anybody else tried to pick a fight.

“Anyway, here’s my bus stop,” she said.

“You’re getting the bus?”

“Yeah!”

“Where’s your car?” he was sure she drove into work.

“At home! It’s nice to get the bus sometimes. You know, for the environment.”

“I’ll give you a lift,” again, it came out before he could register it.

“I’m well out of your way,” she said. “Don’t worry about it!” But he did worry. 

“OK,” he said. 

“Anyway… I’ll see you later!”

“Yeah…” he started for home, feeling a little weird. But it was nothing that a cleaning session couldn’t fix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got so much of this already written, that I went a little crazy and uploaded loads this week. I’m going to slow down a bit from next week with uploads but it will still be regular!
> 
> Thanks so much for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate it! I hope everyone’s well and enjoying the story so far.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I’ve sailed the good ship Levihan since 2014 and I’ve had this story evolving in my mind for literally seven years now! I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’m comfortable to actually write and share it. It’s my first time posting on AO3 so bear with me! 
> 
> I’ve got so many things that I want to explore in a modern AU with their characters, relationships, and friends - including some heavy stuff - but most of all, I just want to have fun! So thank you for reading and please stick around for the long run. I’ve got quite a bit written already so I will aim to keep updates as regular as I can. :D
> 
> (Also, I’m too sad that the manga is ending. I know we have the anime still going, but I just want to cry when I think about the manga, so this is helping me channel my sadness! If you’re feeling sad about Levihan, Erwin, Eren, Mike, and Attack on Titan in general, then come join me!)


End file.
